How Can Industrial Designers Work More Effectively with Engineers to Have a Successful Collaboration

Certain companies are successfully integrating industrial design into their engineering teams, and other companies are following suit. The collaboration between designers and engineers can be challenging because they receive different training and have different perspectives. While engineers are detail oriented and mainly concerned with technical features, designers are empathetic and concerned with aesthetics and user experiences. This thesis focuses on the complications in interdisciplinary teamwork between engineers and industrial designers in a product development project, to provide guidelines for industrial designers to collaborate efficiently in future multidisciplinary settings. In this thesis, I conducted a literature review on new product development and successful collaboration criteria, and addressed the challenges surfaced from two research methods: a case study and interviews. The case study examines my experience as the sole industrial designer in a group of engineers, together designing a new type of aerial transportation mode for daily commuting purposes in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Cincinnati in collaboration with Workhorse Group. By interviewing industrial designers and engineers, I sought to discover their experiences in collaboration with the other profession.;Based on my findings, I have developed five guidelines for industrial designers to overcome challenges in collaborating with engineers. These guidelines are: 1. Based on my findings, I have developed five guidelines for industrial designers to overcome challenges in collaborating with engineers. These guidelines are: 1. Get clear about your role in the group and in which areas you are going to contribute to the project 2. Learn the required knowledge related to the project and seek advice from experienced colleagues if needed 3. Be aware that engineers also do design, but it is different from industrial design, and industrial designers should appreciate its value 4. Use your knowledge and skills to present your ideas, and learn how to communicate and defend your concepts in discussion with engineers 5. Prepare questions to ask engineers about technical limitations, and learn how to work within those limitations.;I believe that by applying these guidelines during collaborations with engineering teams, industrial designers can overcome challenges effectively and enhance their experience and contributions to the team.